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Saturday, March 9, 2013

John 12:12-19

This is the familiar "Palm Sunday" passage. What always strikes me about this passage is how quickly public opinion can turn 180 degrees. On Sunday the people were hailing Jesus as their new king who had come to save them. By Friday they were swayed by the religious leaders into thinking Jesus was a blasphemer guilty of death. The real problem was that Jesus didn't live up to the expectations of the public. They expected a king who would lead them in battle against the hated Romans. The people were thinking way too 'small'. Jesus was the King of kings who came to win the battle against much worse enemies: sin, Satan, death and hell. Ironically, they were right when they shouted "Hosanna" (Save!). That's exactly what Jesus would do - just not from the enemy they thought and not in the way they thought.

The key is to have the proper expectations of Jesus. And Jesus tells us what we should expect. We need to listen to what He tells us and then remember our March discipleship verse:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart... and lean not on your own understanding."